Zanardi leaves Berlin hospital

[rdjones]

This Just in from Autosport.com:-

Disabled Champ Car star heads for rehabilitation in Italy
Zanardi will begin a new phase of rehabilitation in Italy

Double CART champion Alex Zanardi has returned to his Monte Carlo home today (Tuesday), seven weeks after he lost both his legs in a horrendous crash at Eurospeedway Lausitz in Germany.

The 35-year-old Italian was discharged from hospital in Berlin today, flying to Nice with wife Daniela and their three-year-old son Niccolo. He suffered terrible leg injuries in his crash, which occurred when his Mo Nunn Racing Reynard spun leaving the pits and was struck at high speed by Alex Tagliani's Team Player's car.

After losing 70 percent of the blood in his body, Zanardi required 14 separate operations since the crash. He will be evaluated at a clinic in his hometown of Bologna, Italy, for prostheses later this week to enable him to learn to walk again.

"I feel well enough to return and begin a new life at home," he said. "It was a huge crash, horrible. I'm happy that I'm still alive and I try not to think about what I lost.

"Life is marvelous. I am lucky to be alive, and I will do everything in order to make the best from it. I feel full of energy. Now my target is to be able to run again, and my challenge is to be able to do that in around one year.

Zanardi says he has not ruled out a return to the sport in the future.

"Motorsport is an important part of my life," he added. "Perhaps I will drive in races again some day, I don't really know."

This is great news and we all send Alex our best wishs for the future.

[jetsetter]

This is certainly great news. As for Alex someday returning to racing, with his outlook on life, determination & sheer guts anything is possible. I wish him all the best, hopefully one day we will see him involved in the sport in one form or another.

[Liz]

A friend at British Racing Green sent me this today: If anything can get Zanardi back on his feet, this will do it:

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Regazzoni to compete in 20-day rally

Former formula1 star Clay Regazzoni has announced his intention to compete in next June's 20-day Midnight Sun to Red Sea rally.

The Swiss driver has been confined to a wheelchair after suffering spinal damage when his brake pedal snapped during the 1980 US Grand Prix, but has developed a special hand-control adapted 6.3 litre Mercedes in order to continue racing.

The rally director Nick Britain was thrilled to welcome Regazzoni to the event, saying to Motorsport News: "We are delighted to welcome Clay to another of our events. His performances in this big unwieldy car over the gravel stages are always a delight to watch."

Regazzoni competed in formula1 for eleven years and took five GP victories, including the Williams team's maiden win, before the accident cut his single-seater racing career short.

However, he has continued driving competitively and has participated in the London to Mexico rally, the Panama to Alaska rally and the Shield of South Africa event.

The Midnight Sun to Red Sea race takes place over fifty special stages on several different surfaces, including asphalt, gravel and desert.

Regazzoni will carry a lightweight aluminium wheelchair in the back of his car throughout the 5,000-mile event, which begins at Ostersund and travels through ten countries before reaching the finish line in Aqaba, Jordan.

I bet it won't be any time at all until Mo Nunn has got Zanardi and Regga together.

[bella]

i am so pleased to hear that. it made my day (which has been a rough one).

go alex

[jetsetter]

That is great news about Reggazoni it goes to show it can be done. Good luck to both Zanardi & Regazzoni.

[jiggly_puff]

yeah good luck alex - hes an inspiration to everyone!

[paulzinho]

Its great to see that he's so optimistic. He didn't lose his character, one of his greatest assets.